MOD’s Hidden Costs for RAF’s New Generation Warplanes

MOD’s Hidden Costs for RAF’s New Generation Warplanes

11 Aug 12:00
by
Ian Unsworth

The MOD faces a bill of hundreds of millions of pounds in “hidden costs” on the F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter according to The Times. The cost of each jet has ballooned from the £77m-£100m originally budgeted to over £150m, with the difference said to cover “extras” like software upgrades and spare parts.

The supersonic jet, which can reach speeds of Mach 1.6, is manufactured by the US company Lockheed Martin.